They are asking for a hell of a lot of working hours. With no TEFL experience you will find this job to be more than full time. Add in all the prep time you will need, even if they are providing material, and you wont have enough time for anything ... INCLUDING private teaching on the side (which many contracts, especially with training centres, expressly forbid).

The real killer thing, which has already been pointed out several times, is the visa thing. They are asking you to make a false application for a visa with a view to changing it later.

If someone is quite willing to ask you to apply for the wrong visa and lie to the embassy about your intentions and reason for travel ... its fair to assume they may be quite comfortable lying to you about your visa status when you are in China. Its quite a risk I think, especially in Bei Jing ... small towns in the middle of nowhere is where this stuff might fly, but in the capital city Id be very wary.

Something else to consider is that the Chinese embassy may sometimes require proof of your flights in and out of the country. If you are applying for a short term F visa you may well need to show a flight departing China within that F visa timescale. So this could mean booking a flight you cant take, which at best will involve hefty fees in changing flight dates later ... or at worst, losing that money altogether.

Im a little surprised you arent getting much in the way o response to applications? Who and where are you applying? You would appear to be pretty well qualified for China .. is your TEFL certification a 120 hour on-site with observed teaching practice? Have you tried people like Wall Street, EF, and some of the other big players in the training centre market?

Just remember .. this employer is telling you this is the visa process to comply with regulations. And this is a huge lie. It is actually a process they are following to totally avoid visa regulations.

BTW - Hewlett is an infamous ex-forum member who seemed to get himself into the most ridiculous situations by taking on the most insane of promises by shady employers and recruiters. He'd then post about having to live in a friends broom cupboard and selling off his laptop to get flight money home etc.

As a relative newbie (been in China for eight months), take this advice with a grain of salt.

What you should do:
1. Apply to schools in smaller cities. I got a legitimate job offer, with Z-visa, with only a college degree and an online TEFL certificate, in a third tier city. The pay isn't fantastic, but it allows me to save about $500 a month, and still go out.

2. Read, read, read, and read some more. These forums are an EXCELLENT resource (even if you sometimes have to wade through the more negative posts).

3. Part of the problem you MAY be having is that Spring Festival just ended a week or so ago, and many schools are closed during that time. If you keep applying, you should start getting more responses, especially if you're young, white, and from an English-speaking country.

4. Even when you get a legitimate job offer, it will still take a few weeks to process your paperwork - maybe as long as six weeks for you to get your invitation letter, etc. for your visa. This is normal.

5. If they are not willing to show you the contract before you come over, RUN. If they are not willing to get you a Z-visa, RUN. These should both be basic requirements for any job offer.

6. If push comes to shove (and this statement will bring the most ire from regular posters), contact a recruiter. You probably won't get a great offer through one, but since they don't get paid unless they fill a position, it MIGHT make things a bit easier.

Where are you looking for jobs? People here might be able to give you advice on that, which might open up a few more opportunities. My own advice on that front would be to look at expat websites for various Chinese cities, since these often have jobs advertised in them. Have a look at a map of China and Google some cities you might be interested in and then search for expat sites and take it from there.